Buckbeak
Buckbeak, later renamed Witherwings, was a male hippogriff. He lived with Rubeus Hagrid during Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts, along with a few other hippogriffs. He was later unfairly sentenced to death, when he attacked Draco Malfoy after being taunted and provoked. Buckbeak's death sentence was delivered from the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. Many of the members of this committee had been threatened by Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, into voting for that verdict. With the help of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and her Time-Turner, Buckbeak escaped execution in 1994 and he came under the care of Sirius Black. Sirius kept Buckbeak with him while on the run during the 1994–1995 school year, and later kept him in his mother's bedroom while in hiding at 12 Grimmauld Place. After Sirius's death, Buckbeak came to be owned by Harry Potter through Sirius's will, though Harry allowed him to live with Hagrid. He participated in two battles of the Second Wizarding War, most notably the Battle of Hogwarts. He also showed great affection and loyalty toward Harry, defending him whenever he was in danger. Biography 1993-1994 school year meets Buckbeak during his first Care of Magical Creatures lesson]] In 1993, Rubeus Hagrid brought his first Care of Magical Creatures class to see and study Buckbeak, as well as other hippogriffs. Under Hagrid's direction, Harry was able to successfully approach Buckbeak and was even allowed to ride him for a short flight around the paddock. As hippogriffs are immensely proud creatures, Buckbeak was offended when Draco Malfoy insulted him. This resulted in him injuring the boy's arm. Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy insisted that the Hippogriff be put to death. Malfoy's influence in the Ministry of Magic led to his views being the majority vote, and the execution was to be carried out. Walden Macnair came to the Hogwarts as the employed executioner, and Buckbeak was tied in Hagrid's pumpkin patch to await his death. ]] However, using a Time-Turner, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger rescued Buckbeak just prior to the execution. Originally, they had heard the swish of an axe and assumed Buckbeak had been killed. Later, as it became evident that Buckbeak had escaped, Macnair swung his axe into a pumpkin in anger. When Harry and Hermione were about to be attacked by Remus Lupin in his werewolf form, Buckbeak saved them by attacking him and scaring him off. Buckbeak was used to get to Filius Flitwick's Office, in which Sirius was locked in, enabling Black to escape the Dementors and leave Hogwarts. Living with Sirius Black Sirius Black then took possession of Buckbeak while both were on the run from the Ministry of Magic. Buckbeak stayed in Sirius's late mother's room at 12 Grimmauld Place. 6 March, 1995 Buckbeak appears with Sirius in the cave near Hogsmeade when he came to talk to Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. 18 June 1996, Kreacher injured Buckbeak with the encouragement of Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy so that Sirius would be occupied with taking care of him when Harry tried to contact him. This led Harry to believe a false vision Lord Voldemort showed him, where Sirius was being tortured in the Department of Mysteries. The scene lured Harry and his friends to the Ministry, and set the stage for a battle. During the battle Sirius died, knocked through the Veil in the Death Chamber. Back in Hagrid's care In July 1996, month after Sirius' death, Albus Dumbledore told Harry that according to Sirius' will, he was now the legal owner of Buckbeak, though Harry told Dumbledore that Buckbeak could continue living with Rubeus Hagrid. In order to protect the hippogriff's identity, Buckbeak was renamed "Witherwings" at this time. He was greeted by Harry Potter in front of Hagrid's hut when the trio dropped in for a visit. He was also present near the hut during Aragog's funeral. 30 June 1997, Buckbeak joined Harry's duel with Severus Snape across the grounds, attacking Snape and driving him off, thus protecting Harry. Buckbeak survived the battle and was still in very good health. Battle of Hogwarts During the Battle of Hogwarts, Buckbeak, along with several Thestrals, were seen attacking Lord Voldemort's giant soldiers from the air while Grawp was hitting them. Buckbeak survived the battle. Later life It is unknown what became of Buckbeak after the war, but it is possible that he still lives at Hagrid's hut, or else in the forest with the other hippogriffs. It is also likely that the death sentence on him was overturned as part of the wider reforms within the Ministry of Magic. Personality and traits Buckbeak was a proud creature and at first he seemed to be fairly aggressive, attacking Draco Malfoy when the latter insulted him. Despite his earlier signs of aggression, Buckbeak has been shown to be very loyal and protective of those who treat him with kindness and respect. After being saved from execution, Buckbeak protects Hermione and Harry when they were threatened by Remus Lupin in his werewolf form. Buckbeak was intelligent in his ability to recognise his past acquaintances, as he defended a cornered Harry from Severus Snape in 1997. His loyalty towards Harry was undying, and further proven when he joined the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998 to fight. Behind the scenes *In , Buckbeak defended Harry and Hermione from Remus Lupin in his werewolf form. *Buckbeak's role in the series beyond the Prisoner of Azkaban was omitted from the films, though concept art of the character was made for and he appeared in . *The wizard rock band Draco and the Malfoys have a song titled Hippogriffs Deserve to Die, all about Draco being attacked by Buckbeak. *The Flight of the Hippogriff ride at has an animatronic version of Buckbeak, resting in a nest. *In the book of , Harry doesn't exactly enjoy his first ride on Buckbeak, and it's made clear between hippogriffs and broomsticks which one he prefers. This isn't so in the film adaption. In the movie, during his first ride on Buckbeak, Harry appears to be fascinated by the ride and enjoying it a lot as they fly over the Black Lake, raising his arms and shouting in triumph. The film portrayal also depicts a much longer ride, with Buckbeak achieving a sort of smooth, idyllic glide not described in the novel. *Buckbeak also defecated in the film version; it happens right after Ron urges Harry to go up to Buckbeak. The CGI team believed this was the first time an animal was animated doing this, but Walking With Dinosaurs did it first in 1999. *Concept artist Dermot Power wanted to portray Buckbeak as a "noble beast" with "romantic magic potential", but director Alfonso Cuarón disapproved of these designs.Official site of Dermot Power - see here and here *In the video game of , Ron is inexplicably unable to ride Buckbeak unlike Harry and Hermione. If the player attempts to ride Buckbeak as Ron, he will knock him back and caw at him. See also *Rubeus Hagrid's pets *Hogwarts Hippogriff herd Appearances * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *''Flight of the Hippogriff'' * * * * * Notes and references de:Seidenschnabel de2:Seidenschnabel fr:Buck ru:Клювокрыл fi:Hiinokka nl:Scheurbek it:Fierobecco es:Buckbeak pl:Kłębolot et:Helliknokk pt-br:Bicuço Category:Battle of Hogwarts participants Category:Battle of the Astronomy Tower participants Category:Care of Magical Creatures Category:Hagrid's pets Category:Hippogriffs Category:Males Category:Order of the Phoenix allies Category:Plot to murder Peter Pettigrew participants Category:Scottish individuals Category:Sirius Black's possessions Category:Yellow-eyed individuals